Blogging the San Diego Padres… established 1997

The Duck Stops Here

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time

-T.S. Eliot

As another season draws to a close, so does another year of following the Padres at Ducksnorts. And while our favorite baseball team will return to fight again next year, I will not.

After 14 years of producing Ducksnorts, I no longer have the time or energy necessary to do so at a level of quality acceptable to me. The sacrifices and compromises one is willing to make in life at age 42 are different from those one is willing to make at age 28.

Ballplayers get old. Writers get old. Priorities change.

When Ducksnorts first launched in 1997, Hank Aaron and Roger Maris reigned as baseball’s home run kings, Derrek Lee still played for the Padres, and Anthony Rizzo was just entering the third grade. In some respects, it seems like a lifetime ago. Heck, I’ve never even lived in a place as long as I’ve written Ducksnorts.

The list of people I need to acknowledge for their support and guidance is prohibitively long, so we’ll just stick to generalities. Thanks to everyone who ever read, commented, or otherwise participated here at Ducksnorts; to everyone who bought my books; to the folks at Top Prospect Alert, Hardball Times, All-Baseball/MVN, b5media, Baseball Daily Digest, Baseball Prospectus, and ESPN for providing me with opportunities to reach a wider audience than I’d ever dreamed possible; to current and former members of the Padres front office, broadcast team, and other departments for their generosity of time and spirit; to local, national, and international broadcast and print media who have taken an interest in my work here; and to everyone who doesn’t fall into one of the aforementioned categories.

Thanks most of all to my wife of nearly 16 years for putting up with more of my nonsense than you’ll ever know. How and why she has done so lies quite beyond my comprehension, but I am grateful beyond words that she has.

To everyone reading this: It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve you as best I could over the years. If you need to find me for whatever reason, I’ll still be at Baseball Prospectus, Twitter, Petco Park, and various minor-league ballparks.

GY would always have to find time (that’s hard to come by) to read them, and it looks like he made the choice and we all are going to suffer for it. darned that Joe Poz, why does he have to be so good.

When we met up at Oktoberfest I told my wife who you were and she took the news with disbelief. “That’s the guy who writes the books you read!?”

Even wives know of Ducksnorts . . . a true indicator of the reach of your writing!

Some of the other bloggers and I (Rjs Fro, Woe Doctor) often joke about the horribly inconsistent nature of our posts. We vie for the coveted title of “The Worst Padres Blogger”! If there is one certainty in life it is that Geoff Young of Ducksnorts would never be invited to such a contest.

We Padres fans always knew of a place to come to, in Ducksnorts. A place of, intelligence and passion but most of all . . . consistency. To do what you have done for as long as you have done it is nothing short of remarkable and while nothing is impossible I worry that the void will never be filled.

What disappointing news to wake up to. Best of luck with your future writing endeavors, friend.

Oh, this is sad news, but I understand. A close friend of mine has a blog (non sports related), and I am aware of the great deal of time and effort required for him to do a good job at it. It can be very consuming.

I lurked here for a few years and believe I started commenting in November of 2007. Whether I agreed with you or not, your posts were always articulate, insightful, and a pleasure to read. I have always valued your historical knowledge and context of the game and the Padres, which is a rare commodity on many present day Padres sites. I am going to miss this very much!

Thanks for the great content….you’ve done an excellent job. I’ll do my best to follow your work on the sites mentioned above.

Fair winds from Connecticut!

PS – Can I still send you articles from time to time, or will your email address be shutting down too?

Geoff, words are not enough for me (though you always had the right words for the situation)… You have a TREMENDOUS gift as a writer and a passion for Padre baseball (along with so many others here @Ducksnorts) – and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

All the best,

Jim-

@TomWaits: thanks for turning me onto DS all those years ago – hope all is well

@Quin: Glad you could join us, if only for a little while. I’ll get to work on improving Venable’s OBP right away. (The real reason I’m leaving is that I’m the new hitting coach.)

@TW: Thanks, my friend. I have enjoyed your contributions a great deal over the years.

@Michael Cuthbert: Thanks; much appreciated.

@Shane: Inane players are the best. Only slightly better than insane players. Thanks for being a part of this thing.

@Cheri: Great to hear from you, and keep up the fine work over at Friarhood!

@Matt: Thanks for the kind words.

@Marsh: Happy to serve; glad you stuck around for so long.

@Sammy: What’s a grownup?

@AJM: Voids are meant to be filled; something will happen. Thanks so much for the support. It’s been great getting to know you and the other blogger folks at various events. Also, if you ever have a Worst Padres Blogger Contest, please invite me. That would be hilarious, if potentially awkward.

@parlo: It’s been great having you as a part of our community. Everyone needs to be kept honest, and I always appreciated (although maybe it didn’t come across that way sometimes) your calling me out if something didn’t seem right. It forced me to really examine my beliefs, which is a good thing. As for articles, feel free to drop me a line at geoff@ducksnorts.com any time (that goes for everyone). I can’t promise a timely response, but I can promise that I’ll enjoy hearing from you.

@BrianG: Yeah, she rocks. We’ll see you around. Viva El Vez!

@Jefe: Thanks a lot.

@all: I’m blown away — and I shouldn’t be because I know y’all are a classy lot — by the kind words. I can’t even begin to describe what you guys have meant to me over these many years.

Geoff, as a newer blogger, I will miss the insights into the organization’s young players, your realistic but informed opinions about this complex game, and the interplay of the board. It will not be possible to replace Ducksnorts, so I hope no one tries. Thanks for your words.

I’ll miss coming here for my Padres’ takes and news and talk and love and whatnot, amid a sea of Giants fans. This is a sad day.

Although I hardly/never commented, I came here every day and loved this blog. I’ll miss you, Greg, and thank you for all your years of great comments and articles (scathing, loving and always sincere) and wish you the best.

Its been a pleasure reading your blog. I didn’t check in everyday, but when I did I always read everything I had missed since my previous visit. Yours was a singularly unique view of my favorite baseball team and I always checked in here to get your thoughts on prospects, trade rumors, etc. I must admit I’ve occasionally regurgitated your analysis to my buddies and floored them with my (your) pointed observations.

I found your site back in 05, and have enjoyed it ever since. And I loved the Padres guides you put together – they were great resources at Spring Training. It’s sad that the Padres online community will lose such a measured and intelligent voice. Have a good rest of your life – Go Pads.

GY, thanks for giving us Padre fans a place to go all these years. For some reason I sensed this was your last season. Something was a bit different than the previous 6 years I followed the blog. Your writing was always fun to read and refreshing. Enjoy your “retirement”.

Comment From Guest: I have heard you talk about trading Mat Latos before to bring in a bat. Now I am seeing Jesus Montero’s name linked in a possible trade. Could this be realistic?

Bill Center: Latos would have a lot of value on the trade market. At the same time, the Padres control him for another four years. With the pitching prospects at Double-A, I might take a chance on trading Latos if the other team were willing to over-pay. The Yankees might be that team. I’d want at least a major league-ready every day player, a prospect and a pitching prospect in return.

re: Latos, that’s a nice thought but the Yankees aren’t going to overpay for him. and why would the Padres trade Latos in the off season when his value is at its lowest unless a deal is crazy enough to overvalue his potentials?

… but a lot of that was “September, when he struck out at least eight in each of his five starts without ever allowing more than three earned runs” … and I’m always leary of September stats on teams that are way out of it, as it seems like a lot of ABs against roster-expandees. But I do agree with the bottom line …

For a pitcher who doesn’t even turn 24 for another two months, Latos has two excellent seasons under his belt and enough talent to take the next step as he matures.

Hard to believe that Theo’s potential move to the cubbies caught any of the MLB owners off guard. But maybe when the chix and beer hit the press, it was time for the manager to leave..and speeded up Theo’s move. Lucky Larry Lucchino must be a bear to work for… and upstaging him must provide ultimate good feelings for Theo. Hoyer and Mcleod were leased to SD and plus it makes the reunion easier. Can you imagine Boston/Lucchino giving Theo, Hoyer and Mcleod to the cubs or anybody?? Moorad probably heard rumblings awhile back and brought Brynes and A.J. to the Padres…as a comfort move and insurance.

—
In another Cubs staffing development, ESPNBoston.com has confirmed that Padres assistant GM Jason McLeod will also join Epstein and Hoyer in Chicago.
—-

so, it’s Byrnes as GM after he turned down Theo in Chicago.

i’d imagine the blueprint is still the same with some tweaks and touches by Byrnes. thanks, Hoyer, for some imaginative signings and the Adams trade. thanks, McLeod, for the drafts and scouting. good luck in chicago and may the Padres beat your cubs every year.

Tangentially, as much of a fan of the 1984 Padres as I was, the presence of Garvey and Gossage and Nettles always left a bittersweet taste in my mouth … I will always root for the uniform, but it’s just more fun when the boyz are pure-bred Padres (or at least “acquired” and not simply “bought”) … which, obviously, was part of the everlasting appeal of our beloved Tony Gwynn.